Abstract
The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of air voids on the fracture properties of asphalt mixtures using SCB test in Discrete Element Method (DEM). Superpave and Coarse Matrix High Binder (CMHB) mixtures gradation were used to generate the percentages of aggregate, mastic, and air voids within the specimens. Aggregates and air voids were randomly generated for each asphalt mixture case. Model results illustrate that the crack initiation and propagation is controlled by the location of the aggregate particles and air voids in the mixture. Additionally, the absence of air voids above the tip of the notch increases the stiffness of the sample and increase its resistance to failure. The novelty of using DEM and the random generation technique for generating numerical specimens proved to be a useful approach in investigating the properties of the mastic, aggregate and interface as they relate to fracture of asphalt mixtures.
Highlights
There are several asphalt laboratory cracking tests that provide insights into the performance of asphalt pavements
Based on the current literature, the modeling methods for the SCB test have been concentrated in two main approaches, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) [2,3,4,5]
The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of air voids on the fracture properties of asphalt mixtures using SCB test in DEM that considers the modelling of aggregates, mastic, and air voids and specimen random generation technique
Summary
There are several asphalt laboratory cracking tests that provide insights into the performance of asphalt pavements. Image processing and random generation techniques have been used to generate the internal structure of the asphalt models [6, 7]. The aggregate characteristics such as angularity and size have been well studied to see their effect on the stiffness of asphalt mixtures [8, 9]. The contact behavior is described using three models: slip, stiffness, and bonding. The time-dependent asphalt behavior in DEM is simulated by using the Burger’s contact model, which uses the Kelvin and Maxwell models connected in series in the normal and shear direction. The Maxwell model incorporates the same rheological components but acting in series [12]
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